Are Women Powerless Against Cologne?

It’s an old, tired trope of advertising: gorgeous women become manically obsessed after catching a whiff of their suitor’s cologne. We’ve seen it time and time again, often in the adverts of Axe, the brand who continues to convince its audience of the cologne’s magnetizing qualities.

This time around, Old Spice — one of Axe’s main competitors — has attempted to revitalize the familiar story arch by introducing a new protagonist. Instead of featuring a GI Joe look-alike, Old Spice’s new ad campaign introduces us to a clumsy robot-man who douses himself in Old Spice deodorant and body wash.

Whether on the beach or at a club, the mandroid manages to woo women despite tripping over his own machinery or accidentally loosing crucial parts of his inhuman body. Are we meant to be even more convinced of Old Spice’s merits because of the robot's success despite his hapless habits? Is the ad attempting to harness our attention by using unconventional humor? We are not amused. We are still bored. It's just another really bad cologne commercial.

It’s not the first time Old Spice has incorporated bizarre concepts to get viewers' attention – a previous advert suggested that anyone who used Old Spice hair products could grow a head of locks capable of climbing off the human scalp and crawling across the boardroom table to retrieve an attractive coworker’s number. In another episode, the mobile toupee operates a toy machine at a carnival, impressing a female date before perching himself back on his owner’s head.

We have also witnessed Old Spice turn men into yacht cruising, horse-riding stallions who boast handfuls of gleaming diamonds seeping through their fingers.

We weren’t convinced then, either.

Obviously Old Spice is attempting to distinguish itself from the legendary campaigns of its competitor, Axe. If that’s the case, perhaps it's time to come up with a new storyline entirely. Enough of these god-like suitors who hypnotize women with the spray of a canister.

Image: Old Spice